Westminster History

The Barber family have been lovingly hand-crafting authentic English cheddar cheese at Maryland Farm in Ditcheat, Somerset – just 11 miles from Cheddar village itself – since way back in 1833, making them the oldest cheese making family in England and one of the oldest cheddar producers in the world!

From the very beginning of their journey, the milk which came from the Barber family’s herd of cows – which are free to roam, graze and relax on natural, rich and lush pasture, as nature intended – was sold to locals, while the cheese that was crafted was used to feed the family and dedicated farm workers.

As time went by, the Barber family needed more milk in order to meet the demand for their mouth-watering cheddar cheese so they began to buy extra supplies of milk from neighboring farms around the area, and still do so to this day.

The farm is still owned and run by the Barber family, now in its sixth generation. They currently look after 2,000 cows which produce milk for the dairy and graze over 2,500 acres of land.